


A Gift in the Dark

by Specks_of_Love



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Crappy Jobs, Definitely an xReader tho~, Dog Friends, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Teleportation, The Void, Unsure shipping, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specks_of_Love/pseuds/Specks_of_Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A motorcycle crash may have brought you one of the things you've been missing for years now by miracle alone.<br/>But for how long can you struggle to keep it alive with something from the darkness trying to claw you away from this happiness.<br/>Dark...<br/>Darker...<br/>And yet darker still...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

You had just been passing through the town. You had no intention of stopping; there was no reason to. The town seemed to lack a hotel or even a proper gas station. Not that it mattered much, you lived roughly 30 miles away from where you were currently. Sunport was just west of the monster town you were passing through, the one near Mt. Ebott, Newest Home. 

How original.

But despite your plans, in the cold of winter a patch of black ice had sent you careening off the road, your motorcycle throwing you into a ditch. You had skidded across the pavement, the rough surface tearing up your warm letterman. You could very clearly feel the blood seeping from your back and arms...and quite possibly your head.

Your teeth chattered as you blearily looked skywards, “Sh-shit…” you spat, “I-I…”

‘No one knows where I am! And it’s so cold...I, I’m going to die here!’ You spiraled further into panic as fresh tears pricked your eyes, blurring your vision even more.

‘I don’t wanna die.’ 

“Anyone?! Is anyone there?!” You screamed, panic laboring your breathing.

Even so, you quickly fell silent. Not only was your throat simply burning, but no one else had been on that stretch of road when you crashed. No one had seen you. No one knew where to look.

Hell, no one even knew to look. 

“I’m gonna die inna ditch...in a town fulla monsters.” You hiccuped, “And no one’s gonna find me.”

Your vision finally blurred too much for you to properly see, the chill on your bloody body sending violent shivers down your back. You closed your eyes and let the tears fall as you lie there in the deep slanting ditch, unable to move.

‘Screw it, it’d take a miracle of god for someone to find me now.’ You silently gave up as your vision faded in and out. 

You smiled bitterly, “It’s so cold.”

With another clouded puff of air everything finally faded to black, the faintest sound of barking in the distance missing your frozen red ears.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, well that took longer to type than I thought it would.

The moment you woke up you nearly screeched at top volume. Not only did you have a skull-splitting headache, but you were wholly surrounded by the unfamiliar. Focusing on you surroundings, you found yourself surrounded by a variation of...of…

Dog...monsters…?

“Huh?”

“She’s awake!” I white female dog in long black robes called out.

You blinked in surprise; of course you’d heard the stories and rumors of the monsters that had emerged from Mt. Ebott. Their story was known nationwide by now. But you’d never seen one up close before. 

A hand on your shoulder startled you out of your daze with a soft yelp. A dog in a mask with knives strapped to his sides leaned in close to your face. Instinctively, you leaned away with a thick gulp. The dog peered at you with squinted misty eyes.

“Ye alright kiddo? Need ta’ lie down somewhere?” He barked curiously.

“Doggo!” The white dog from earlier scolded him whilst removing his paw from your shoulder, “Be careful, she’s still injured!”

Doggo growled sheepishly, “Right, sorry kiddo.”

 

“I-it’s fine...I guess.” You stammered, flinching when a tall dog, whose head was poking out a tall set of black battle armor, barked at you before settling into your lap. 

The white female dog sighed, “Sorry, we tried to heal you up as best we could. It took a lot of our energy.” She gave an affectionate look to the dog in your lap, “He’s pretty tuckered out.”

You blinked, feeling even more lost and confused than you had been before, “I...I’m sorry.” You mumbled, “But what’s going on, exactly?”

The group of dogs blinked at you. Realizing how rude you might have sounded you immediately flushed with embarrassment, “Not that I’m not grateful! I am! Thank you. But...what happened to me? W-where am I now?”

The robed dog suddenly laughed and you shivered as you noticed the axe on her hip. “Oh dear! We’re sorry if we scared you!” she offered a paw to help you up, something you accepted tentatively, “Greater Dog found you! We were all walking, here, to Grillby’s bar, earlier when we found your bike lying by the side of the road. We all searched and you were in pretty rough shape when we found you.”  
Doggo jumped in at this point, “I called Alphys!” he declared proudly, “With some assistance and a little healing magic, you’re in much better shape than before!” he suddenly paused, as if realizing something, “Well, at least I think you are! I can’t really see ya all that well.”

The white dog with the axe smiled kindly at you as you sat up further on what you now realized was a leather booth. “My name is Dogaressa. My husband over at the table is Dogamy, the dog with the long neck and poker cards is Lesser dog.” she paused to pat the head of the dog in your lap, “And this big guy is Greater Dog.”

Dogs petting other dogs...what a concept.

“And you’ve already been introduced to Doggo,” she continued, “You’re in Grillby’s right now.”

“I-I...thank you,” You said softly, shocked that these strangers would go to such lengths to help you, “Thank you so much.”

“No need to thank us dear,” Dogaressa chuckled, “We’re just doing what any other decent monster would do.”

Tears pricked at your vision but you blinked them back with a smile. Sitting up a bit straighter -despite the soreness in your back and limbs- you gave GD a healthy scritch behind the ears.

“Thanks for finding me buddy,” You grinned, “I owe you one now.”

“Ooh, just keep scratching my ears like that and we’ll call it even.” a deep voice emanated from the dog in your lap, effectively startling you.

“Oh...you talk too…” You mumbled.

“Uh-huh.”

Shrugging off your surprise, you comply with his request and continue to gratefully pet the tired pup. You couldn’t stop the giggles that bubbled from your throat as you heard, what you assumed what his tail, banging around inside his armor.

“Oh, miss,” Dogaressa called, “We had a friend run your jacket to Muffet’s tailoring shop and your bike to Alphys’ lab. We’ll give you directions before you leave!” 

You just barely kept your jaw from unhinging as you quietly thanked the dog-monster as she turned back to her husband. This was certainly an abnormal amount of kindness. These people did not know your name, and by extent you as a person. 

Why were they being so nice to you…?  
Perhaps someone had sent you a miracle after all. 

You went back to petting GD until he felt like he’d received and ample amount of affection. Once he was standing and balanced, he offered a hand to help you to your feet before joining his own friends. There was still a general soreness in your arms, legs and back as you stood on your own two feet. Though it was nothing you couldn’t eventually ignore. 

Looking about the place, you came to the conclusion that Grillby’s was a bar of sorts. In seconds you were able to locate the bartender. He was kinda hard to miss. Like, he was on fire and whatnot. Well, looking closer he seemed to be more along the lines of being made of fire. You were hesitant to move closer to the bartender but mustered up the courage to at least take a seat in one of the stools.

Given your previous experiences with the customer service at bars, you were pleasantly surprised by how quickly the bartender noticed your presence within the moments of sitting down.

“I’m guessing you’re Grilllby?” You asked softly in a meek attempt at being polite.

It wasn’t like you could, or would try, to ignore him. He was actually rather hypnotising to look at up close. You briefly wondered what his eyes looked like behind the glasses.

When the fiery man nodded you offered a smile. “This is a pretty nice place actually. I wasn’t expecting much when I drove through here to be honest.” You admitted.

Grillby cocked his head to the side and made an encompassing gesture towards your body. “Me? I’m a bit sore but that’s all. I’m grateful more than anything.” 

Grillby nodded towards the dogs and you gave him a nod of affirmation, “I didn’t think anyone would find me,” You chuckled sourly, “It’s a damn miracle.”

Grillby leaned forwards and present a closed fist. When he opened his palm little wispy figurines showed a small scene, most of them were distinguishably members of the dog family. The fiery GD was holding a limp figure in his arms. All the dog figures around him seemed frantic as they scurried along Grillby’s palm. Just like that, Grillby closed his palm and pulled back, tilting his head meaningfully.

“They were really worried…” You murmured.

Grillby nodded, confirming your assumption. You fell silent with surprise. There was a crackling sigh from the fire elemental and you looked up. He gestured to the bottles behind him, offering you something to drink, but you shook your head.

“My wallet’s in my jacket pocket...which Muffet apparently has.” You explained, cheeks heating in embarrassment. 

You had probably just wasted a considerable amount of the man’s time. You cringed inwardly, expecting the man to be irritated for taking up space and the counter and using his precious time. However, Grillby merely gave a nod of understanding before bowing his goodbyes before wandering down the bar to help another customer.

You hummed thoughtfully, ‘Besides, it’s not like they need a lightweight like me trying to navigate the town of monsters after one beer...especially on foot.’ 

You climbed down from the bar stool and walked back to the dog family. Mentally, you knew you should do something in return for their kindness. Specifically what, you weren’t quite sure. But you owed all of them something. You made a mental note to ask Grillby about the family when you returned. 

Maybe he had a few ideas. Granted he didn’t see to talk, but you’d find a way.

You tapped Dogaressa on the shoulder, quickly gaining her attention. “Is everything alright dear?” She asked, her voice laced with concern.

You nodded warmly, “I’m okay, really. I’m going to see about finding Muffet’s place.” 

Dogaressa smiled, “I see. Would you like one of us to show you where it is?” 

“You don’t have to do that!” You protested softly, “You’ve already been so kind. I owe you people my life.” You chuckled softly. Dogaressa blushed, opening her mouth to protest but Greater dog beat her to it.

“I’ll go with em’!” He spoke up and stood.

“Seriously, you don’t have to-.”

“C’mon kiddo.” GD ushered you out the door, almost too fast for you to wave goodbye.

You stumbled out the door, pulled along by GD. “Greater Dog! Hey -ouch- slow down!” You yelped as he gripped your arm.

“Sorry! I just get so excited to go to places! I can hardly contain myself.” He panted excitedly.

‘He’s like a puppy on a short leash!’ You noted in amusement.

GD continued to pull you along, more mindful of his yanking this time. “I hope you won’t mind Muffet too much.”

“Uh, why would I?” 

“Muffet is a spider monster of course!” GD barked cheerfully. “She runs the tailoring shop and a pastry place. Both are pretty popular among us monsters.”

“O-oh…” You murmured warily.

A spider monster huh? ‘Well, everyone so far has been pretty nice,’ you reasoned, ‘She can’t be too bad...right?’


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well...I'm not all that happy. Even after multiple edits.   
> Hope this was still enjoyable. TTwTT

There were spiders everywhere if you paid attention. Well, her apparent pet stood out pretty well with its abnormal size and fancy purple bow, but the actual appropriately sized arachnids remained well enough out of sight in the nooks and crannies of the shop. Muffet, on the other hand...that was another story altogether. While she was rather cute in her own ominous way, something about her put you on edge.

“So this is the human!” Muffet gasped and immediately circled about you, “Her clothes are rather plain…”

You let out a breathy huff, though now that you were looking your clothes were rather torn up. Your jeans now had a lot more holes than before as did parts of your shirt. The tank top underneath was -thankfully- unharmed. Though you were mainly worried about the state of your letterman.

“Did...did you happen to find a wallet in the jacket?” You asked as Muffet led you around the shop.

Muffet’s eyes brightened, “Yes! We did find a little wallet in one of the inner pockets.” Muffet let out a sharp whistle and, much to your discomfort, a rather large spider dropped from the ceiling with your wallet in hand.

Well...leg.

Heh.

You took it gingerly, meekly thanking the spider before lightly jogging after the quick shopkeeper. “Here we are!” The spider tailor chirped giddily before taking an all too familiar letterman jacket down from a hook. Your eyes widened upon seeing it.

“It looks absolutely...just...wow! It looks even better than it did before the crash!” You gaped ecstatically. 

Muffet seemed to soak up the praise with a vigor, “Well, my work is never less than my absolute best, dearie. Even when it comes to my human customers.” She trailed off but was quick to snap back to attention when you cleared your throat.

You smiled appreciatively at Muffet, “So how much will this cost me, anyhow?”

Muffet’s eyes shined, “Adding up the damages...I’d say about…9999G.”

You gawked at her and GD let out an angry bark from where he stood in the lobby, “Muffet!”

The spider lass giggled, “Sorry dearie, force of habit. Hee-hee!”

Your heartbeat lowered considerably as she gave you the actual price, a reasonable $75.00 given all the damages. She’d even cleaned the leather, sewn the frayed edges of the cuffs and strings, and had even polished the buttons and badges.

Even the zipper didn’t catch in the middle like it used to!

“Thanks a million Muffet.” You grinned, leaving a tip in her empty jar when her back was turned.

You walked alongside GD as you both headed towards Alphys’ lab to check on the condition of your motorcycle. 

“Dear god, my bike is probably too trashed to be salvaged.” You groaned. 

“Do you live far away?” GD prodded.

“I live in Sunport.” You explained, “It’s just outside of the western Metropolis.” 

GD nodded, “That’s about-.”

“Thirty miles to Sunport; and another six to my house.” You filled in with a sigh.

GD flinched at the distance and went silent. Thankfully, Alphys’ lab wasn’t too far from Muffet’s place. The town was rather quaint now that you were really looking at it. 

In all honesty, the monster town wasn’t what you were expecting...like, at all. Monsters were all over the news since their emergence from Mt. Ebott two years ago. News had considerably died down since then, but discrimination was still everywhere.

You could almost hear your friend’s voices shouting in your head. it almost made you sick to think about the certain assumptions you’d heard -and admittedly added to- upon the monsters’ first few days after their emergence. Though after the news finally established their sentience and the fact that they were actually an underground community...the horror had hit you and a few others rather solidly.

So you kept your distance, rather than make a scene. That was more your style. Oh sure, you would always be curious and guiltily so, but avoiding monsters was better than outright racism. 

You snapped out of your musings as Greater Dog’s paw gripped your shoulder. “We’re here.”

~o~

You had decided that Alphys, the nervous, yellow, lizard-dinosaur, science-geeky joy bundle...was either total anime trash or the most precious of cinnamon rolls. You could not count the number of years you had waited for another person to even be aware of the existence of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. Sure, you hadn’t watched the anime in years. But you had seen all the seasons, remakes, and adaptations with a friend at least four times. After your friend had moved away you’d lost quite a bit of interest, but upon the sight of the anime cases neatly stacked along a bookshelf excited you to an embarrassing level. 

Needless to say, you had immediately asked her about it. Cue a ten minute gush about MMKC between you and the Royal Scientist. It would have been longer if GD hadn’t started whining. You briefly noticed the humanoid robot with pink and chromed accents face-palming near the escalators but quickly dismissed the sight.

“So...how bad is it Alphys?” You prodded nervously as she led you through her lab.

“It d-doesn’t look good, b-but I can’t say for sure. I’m not r-really familiar with these Earth vehicles.” she admitted. 

You followed her through another door and gasped at the sight of your bike. It wasn’t completely trashed, but your baby definitely needed a serious overhaul. Lots of things would need replacing. At your current job there was no way to go about getting enough money for replacement parts. Not with housing payments, insurance, groceries, and all the other fees involved…

You groaned, “Well, you were right Alphys. She’s definitely in pretty bad shape.”

“How bad?”

“Enough to require an professional mechanic. But the autobody shop in Sunport has never been reliable.”

“I-It couldn’t b-be that b-bad? R-right?” 

You gave her a look, “They zip-tied my neighbor’s engine together.”

Alphys blanched so you continued, “I know how to fix it myself. Unfortunately I wouldn’t know how to go about getting certain parts replaced...especially in way that won’t have me swimming in a sea of debt.”

Alphys frowned, clearly pitying your predicament. You sighed, “It’s roughly thirty-six miles from here to my place. I don’t know how I’m going to get home...or anywhere for that matter.”

There was a moment of pause before Alphys suddenly gasped, “W-wait right here!”

You shared a curious look with Greater Dog but nonetheless awaited Alphys’ return. The little yellow monster rushed back into the room a few moments later with a boxy device in hand.   
“H-here!” She announced and excitedly handed you the device, You stared at it with a raised brow. It looked like one of those thick TI-83 scientific calculators...but with more buttons and knobs.

“U-uh, what is it?” You asked sheepishly.

“It’s b-basically a teleporter.” Alphys beamed confidently, “B-but it can only be u-used, safely, three times a d-day. Then it has t-to charge!” Alphys stared to sweat nervously, “I’m still working out the b-battery kinks...since it’s a magic battery instead of an electrical one.”

You just gawked at Alphys, most of the details barely registering. The weebo had just handed you a teleporter. A teleporter!

Who just…

Since when did…

“Alphys! I...I can’t...like. I can’t just accept this. Aside from the fact we just met, up until a few seconds ago I wasn’t quite aware that these things were common!”

“W-well, they aren’t;. Most monsters just use magic to teleport -if they have that ability- and I can’t do that...I mean, I built it-.”

You shook your head as Alphys rambled, “Alphys, this is a valuable piece of technology.”

“It’s actually rather old.”

“Alphys.” You sighed, “There’s being nice and then there’s being reckless. I don’t think -if our places were switched-.” 

But Alphys shook her head and gave you a look, holding a finger for quiet. “I-I know it seems reckless, but I’ve p-prepared for all sorts of situations.” She explained, “I have a recall button! I just have to press it and it’ll appear in the lab when the sensors alert me to!”

“Sensors.”

“The sensors set off the lab’s klaxons if the device leaves the state or goes near the human science center!” She happily elaborated, “Asgore doesn’t think humans are ready to know the extent of magic’s uses.”

“Then why share it with me?” You prodded.

Alphys blushed, “O-Other than the fact we don’t have a way to p-properly care for our roads in the winter, you’re the first nice human I’ve met besides Frisk. I...I want to trust you! Especially if you like Mew Mew Kissy Cutie like I do.”

To this you had to offer a sheepish grin. For some reason, despite the oddness of the gesture, you wanted to prove Alphys right. Not all humans were bad. 

And Alphys seemed pretty cool…

“Thanks you Alphys. I'll be careful with it, I promise.”

The yellow monster beamed, “I’ll h-hold you to that.”

You smiled before a thought crossed your mind, “So, Alphys, you know what a comic fandub is, right?”

The scientist merely blinked at you curiously, “What's that?”

You grinned and dug your -slightly cracked- phone from your pocket. “C’mere Alphys! If you weren't anime trash before, you're sure as hell about to be.”

Curiosity peaked, Alphys moved closer as you offered the device to her, eyes widening as the ever-long list of YouTube videos loaded onscreen. Alphys let out an excited squeal. 

“I have a jumbo screen in the main room!” She exclaimed and ran out of the room. 

With a snort and a wide grin you scrambled after her, GD hot on your heels. Maybe your miracle was a lot bigger than you originally thought.


End file.
